Paektu, Mount

Paektu or Baekdu, Mount, inactive volcanic peak, 9,003 ft (2,744 m) high, on the border between North Korea and China. The highest mountain in Korea, it rises from a basalt lava plateau that is the headwaters of the Yalu (Amnok), Tuman (Tumen), and Songhua rivers. A crater lake, Heaven Lake, is at the top of the mountain. Koreans consider the mountain, which is traditionally regarded as their ancestral place of origin, to be sacred, and it is a popular tourist destination. Mt. Paektu is also known as White Head Mt. and Changbai Mt.